Long, Tall Sally
by LJ Summers
Summary: Nomad Garrett Sawyer happens upon traces of his old friend Carlisle Cullen. Wary, he eventually follows the entire Cullen Coven to none other than a high school graduation ceremony and his existence is profoundly re-directed. An Eclipse AU, written for The Edge Girls.
1. Humans and Their Ceremonies

**A/N**:

Don't freak out. Please. Thank you. Yes, I'm still working on The Neverending Sequel (actually the end is in sight, but it's not done yet) for the novel and I have been re-reading_ Lights Up_ to find my headspace on that…

But then… my friends **The Edge Girls** went to see _Breaking Dawn 2_. And…they met Garrett. And…the notions of new pairings involving him entered into one of our voluminous email chains…

And this happened.

As always _Twilight_ is the intellectual property of Stephenie Meyer. I am just grateful she lets us totally rearrange the lives of her characters.

For the record, this is an _Eclipse_ AU.

* * *

Coming across Carlisle's scent on the Olympic Peninsula came as something of a shock. Garrett didn't shock easily, for he had seen and done much in his centuries of vampiric existence, but he didn't often encounter old friends on his travels.

"Since I'm in the neighborhood," he murmured, turning to follow the scent, "I might as well — No."

His slow jog halted with a suddenness that would have caused a human to believe they were seeing things in the darkest hour before the June dawn. Carlisle's distinctive scent was joined by another. And then. . .more?

"What have you been up to, old friend?" the nomad wondered aloud, a smile reluctantly tugging at his features. His red eyes danced with delight and then narrowed as he took the moments necessary to distinguish the scents from one another. "You've changed your ways... Huh."

Nonplussed, Garrett stood, a shaft of moonlight dancing off his skin with a milky luminescence. _I thought to find you, but with that many? That might not be wise_.

He chose instead to wait and see what the world's only vampire physician was doing with such a large coven. Tracking the scents back to their source, he could only marvel at the fine house and grounds that were clearly the territory of Carlisle Cullen.

* * *

The mystery was solved early the following day. Staying out of the way of the caustic sunshine, Garrett kept his distance from the coven of vampires as they made their way into the small town of Forks. "Happy Graduation!" he heard shouted from many young, giddy humans.

He had to smile. "Humans and their ceremonies."

Lingering on the edges of the gathering, he moved about, not drawing attention to himself as the garishly gowned students settled into their seats. The humans noticed nothing.

The vampires were a different story.

"Garrett, old friend." Carlisle's familiar voice reached him under the cacophony of the auditorium. "You surprise me." The golden-eyed fellow smiled a little at him. Garrett had, by that time, reached the platform and was behind the dusty curtain, watching adults arrange themselves with gossipy remarks.

"As you surprise me," the nomad replied with a closed-mouth smile. "We should talk."

"And we will. My son and daughter are graduating today. So we will find you later?"

Garrett nodded, kept his questions about progeny to himself, and focused on the humans as they began speechmaking. All through history, from coast to coast in his country, speechmaking seemed to accompany everything. When they said the Pledge of Allegiance, though, Garrett was proud to know the words and even repeat them, feeling - for just a moment - as if he were a part of the ceremony himself.

There were more speeches - infantile, really, but the heartbeats he heard betrayed the humans' hope in their futures. And then, there was the parade. It was at this point that Garrett had decided he had had enough when the honors students were called up first and the most beguiling aroma reached him.

_Well, well, Long Tall Sally_, he mused, venom gushing so that he had to swallow it back to keep from puddling it onto the thick, veneered floor under his booted feet. The name had been a song, decades past, and Garrett remembered it as he remembered everything. This girl was tall, slender, and wore glasses that gave the appearance of intelligence to add to the substance of its supposition, since she was called up as having highest honors in her graduating class.

He did like his ladies to have a mind of their own...

She smelled heavenly. Homey but with subtle accents of fire and sensuality that called to him.

He wondered how she would taste. For, of course... He could not resist that. Her. He couldn't resist _her_.

Angela Weber. Highest Honors. Accepted with a full scholarship to Bryn Mawr...

The need for her only built as the ceremony continued. He came so close to just flashing out there, amongst the humans, picking her up and whisking her away.

"No!"

The word was not said in Carlisle's voice, but it was said by a vampire. One who met his eyes as he scanned the auditorium. Golden eyes, under a thatch of red-brown hair that might be called metallic. Pale skin.

A vampire? In the student body? Carlisle had said he had children graduating, but Garrett had no idea how he had sired a son! Had Carlisle bitten someone at last?

Shock once again possessed his limbs as he stared at the young man and the tiny female next to him. Both of them were fixated on himself and Garrett marveled at their daring in going to school with humans.

But still, they wouldn't keep him from hunting as soon as he could. Hunting his Sally.

* * *

_**E/N:**_ I'll update soon. This is all written on my end. It's got five short chapters of 1000 words or fewer. It just sort of happened one day. Thank you for your patience. :)


	2. She'd Remember This Guy

**A/N**: Thank you so much for joining me in this brief excursion! Glad y'all are enjoying Garrett…

* * *

"I'll be right there, Dad," Angela called to her father. Really, she was now a graduate, not a little girl, and she could absolutely make it to the bathroom without an escort.

They were at SoHo Asian Bistro in Port Angeles, a four-star restaurant with a casual atmosphere. It was quite a find and wasn't all that crowded, considering, since PA High didn't have their ceremonies until the following night. Angela's dressy heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she made her way to the back of the restaurant in search of the restroom, but she couldn't find it.

Resolved to semi-public humiliation, she was about ready to look for a female server when she heard someone clear their throat and caught the scent of something. . .delicious. Like fresh pine and leather and _man_ – not that she'd be able to describe that _out loud_, unless it was maybe to Bella Swan – but the aroma did something to her middle, making her quiver a little in a way that she had only sort of experienced before.

"Excuse me, but you look a bit lost," the man said. Oh, and it was _A Man_, yes. As tall as she was, he still made her feel delicate just to stand near him in the dead-end near the kitchen. She could hear chefs shouting, but they seemed utterly unimportant while this man was talking. "Can I help you?" He smiled disarmingly, managing to convey that he could answer her question while making her feel comfortable in so doing.

"Amazing," she whispered under her breath. His smile grew broader and he shifted just a smidgin closer to her. "Um, yeah," she continued, inhaling and speaking and wondering who this guy was. He looked a little wild, but entirely gentlemanly, too. _Dangerous_, her heart said. _Fascinating_, her mind countered. "I think I got a little turned around looking for the ladies'."

His expression became entirely respectful and he ducked his head as if to give her privacy. "Ah. Of course. Well, this way...? It's actually on the other side of the restaurant, away from the kitchens."

The way he said it, the idea made perfect sense and she blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Sure. I'll just, um. . ."

"May I walk you over?" He grinned at her and Angela felt a ridiculous urge to swoon and _that_ made her want to giggle. _ Jessica would love this guy._

_Well, she can't. I saw him first._ She nodded to herself, but he seemed to take the gesture as consent so he indicated with his arm that she should precede him out of the dead end in which she had found herself.

"So, what's your name?" the man asked. He smiled at her from the corner of his eye, as if embarrassed himself. "I was thinking of you as Long, Tall Sally, but I know that can't be right."

She chuckled - she _had_ heard that before. "Angela," she told him softly. "What's yours?"

"Garrett. Garrett Sawyer. So...are you spoken for?" he inquired boldly.

Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire and she only barely noticed that he had held a door open for her. She remembered coming in through a double-door entrance and this one was only a single door, so she guessed it was on the way to the restrooms. "Not just now?" she answered. She and Ben had decided to take a break since she was going to go to Bryn Mawr. Pennsylvania was a long way from Seattle. Plus, her father the minister felt that she and Ben were far too serious for such a young couple.

That had upset her. Quite a bit. Until she ran into Garrett Sawyer.

His smile turned a bit more. . .sexy. Yes that was the word. Sensual. Like one of those heroes in a movie she really wasn't supposed to watch. "Well, it must be my lucky night, eh?"

"And here I was just thinking it might be mine," she managed to say, trying to flirt like Jessica would. Why not, right? How many times did the tall and bookish preacher's kid get the attention of one of the wild guys, anyway? Angela decided she could flirt and take a little too long getting back to the table. Maybe, maybe he'd ask for her phone number...?

Or even if he didn't, she'd remember this guy for a long time.

Garrett laughed a bit and — and the sound didn't echo. Because they were outside.

_Danger!_ her gut cried out. This time, she listened.

"Um, look. I really should get back in to my family. We're kind of having this celebration and," _and you could ask for my phone number if you want_, "and I should get back." _So. Lame_.

"Of course," he said smoothly. He didn't ask for her number and her heart plummeted. He did, though, lean in toward her and her confused heart raced. "A pleasure to meet you, Angela," he whispered, his lips so close to her cheek that she knew he could hear her practically panting.

_Please, please, please!_

As if he could feel her silent desire, Garrett smiled into her eyes, cupped the back of her head with his large, firm hand, and touched her lips with his own.

By the time he slid his lips down her throat, she had forgotten all about her graduation celebration dinner. There was only Garrett, his captivating scent, and his skillful mouth. She moaned, dismayed to hear herself but unable to prevent the heated, wordless sound from escaping.

"Oh, Angela," he said, his voice vibrating musically just above her collarbone. "I've been waiting for you."

Pain sliced into her, so sharply that she gasped and tried to jerk away, but iron bands held her in place as the wind whistled past.

* * *

_**E/N:**_ Looks like we're going every other day with this one. No teasers, but quick updates. Hope that works for y'all. :)


	3. Perhaps That Would Be Changing

_**A/N**_: Yes, Garrett does indeed move fast! As I told some of you fantastic reviewers, he is not a domesticated vampire. But…he's not heartless. Not entirely. Thank you so much for joining me!

* * *

"I will rip him apart!" The blonde growled, her body poised to strike as the Cullen Coven surrounded Garrett.

He wondered again what had prompted him to return to Carlisle's territory. _This was a mistake. I should—_

Carlisle held up one hand. "Garrett, old friend," he said with a strained voice. "What have you done?"

The metallic-haired one shook his head. "He was going to kill her," he said, his voice level. "But he changed his mind."

_I wanted to know what you knew of her_, Garrett thought. _So I could make sure she didn't lose everything._

Edward's brow lifted in disbelief and the shock of realizing that the young man could_ read this thoughts_ held Garrett immobile for another significant moment.

"Let me go!" the angry female demanded. She struggled against her mate. "Emmett! He deserves to burn!"

Garrett was tensing up to make a break for it with the girl in his arms, until he felt blanketed by a calming, cool sensation. He relaxed. So did his aptly named angel, Angela.

"Thank you, Jasper," Carlisle murmured, nodding at the blond male with the tiny brunette who had just joined the cluster of sparkling vampires in the forest near the Cullens' headquarters.

Garrett shifted a bit to make sure that Long, Tall Sally's long, lean legs weren't too visible to the other males. Then, he took a second look at the male named Jasper. And drew himself up short, internally.

"Jasper...Whitlock?"

"That's right," the fellow said, rolling up his sleeves to reveal a plethora of scars that spoke of wars Garrett himself had stayed far from. "You've heard of me?"

"Indeed. Your name commands respect over the entire continent."

"Good. Have you managed a newborn before?"

A brief flare of guilt hit Garrett before fading as he watched Angela's lips move in silent agony. "No."

"I have. Better bring her along. Carlisle?"

"Of course, Jasper."

It was not what he had envisioned, but Garrett realized that his existence would never—could never—be the same, now that he had tasted and changed Angela. He knew, from the moment he had kissed her, that she would be everything he would need. Like the song said, "_Long, tall Sally she's built for speed/She's got everything that Uncle John needs_."

A moment of indecision gripped him as the Cullens reached their overwhelming house. Could _he_ be what _she_ needed?

* * *

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou. Art. With. _Me_. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou. Art. With. _Me_." She never shouted or cried - she only repeated these verses, grinding them out between clenched jaws. He didn't know whether to shake his head at her stubbornness or admire her fortitude. He was leaning toward the latter.

Her burn, he knew of. He had screamed for days and remembered every hellacious instant of his own turning.

"Bella, love, are you sure you want _this_?" In the room with Long, Tall Sally, the Cullen Coven hovered, along with one human. She was Edward's chosen, and Edward was Carlisle's first-created. "It's the worst torture in the world," the copper-haired boy murmured next to the human girl's ear.

"You know her?" Garrett ventured to inquire of the girl, keeping his speech at human speed. "You were at the ceremony yesterday, too, were you not?"

"Yes," the girl, Bella, said, her lips barely moving. "She's my friend." With a flaring of her delicate nostrils, Bella glared at him. "She's a minister's daughter, you know. She never would have wanted this."

The information was both tonic and torment to the nomad. "Tell me about her," he demanded, his eyes going back again and again to the girl on the bed at the Cullens' home.

Edward shook his head a little, but Garrett didn't know why. "She has the kindest human mind I've seen in a long time," the younger man said.

His chosen mate nodded, her eyes always focused on Angela's clenched fists. "She was my friend when. . .when I wasn't a good friend to her."

Edward nuzzled Bella's hair and Garrett passed their subtle exchange off as things that happen between pairs. He had had no such concerns.

Before. But perhaps that would be changing. As she was changing. Soon.

The sun rose on the second day of her change, glinting off the bodies of the vampires and waking the lone human in their midst. Garrett had to admit that Bella's blood was tempting; her heart beat steadily and he himself had not fed for a while because he had not satisfied his hunger with Angela.

His Long, Tall Sally was more than a meal. She might be his mate. If she chose.

He couldn't understand what had happened to him when he had tasted the young woman. What had supposed to be a meal had changed, somehow, when her rich, hot blood hit his tongue. The desire to possess her had consumed him and so he restrained himself to merely change, not devour her. He felt protective of her, even now. So much so that when the human girl, Bella, rose from her slumber and crossed over to Angela's side to take her hand, Garrett growled at her.

"No!" Edward protested, leaping to wrap the human in his arms and tug her from Angela. Speaking beyond the range of human hearing, the young man said, "You will not even think it. Not one thought of harm to my Bella. Your control is not to be trusted."

"Edward," the girl said, fidgeting in his arms, "I need to be with her, to let her know she's not alone."

Edward nodded and sat with Bella on the bed where Angela continued to chant her prayers.

* * *

_See you in a couple of days!_


	4. Where am I?

**A/N:** Thanks for sticking with me! You guys are fantastic.

* * *

"Your name is Angela Weber. You're eighteen years old. You were bitten by a vampire and now you are one. It's not a story and this is not a nightmare."

Angela heard the patient voice, a woman, tell her many things as her heart sped through the furious inferno that had possessed her. She didn't understand all of it, but she heard it and somehow knew she'd remember when she had to.

"What about Victoria?" It wasn't a name that Angela recognized, but the conversation wafted over her, providing a distraction and giving her something else to think on other than the burning. It also proved to her she wasn't actually in Hell, which relieved her considerably.

"She's—I can't see her."

"The wolves?"

"We better go."

A flurry of movement made the air over Angela's body move like a cloth. That was new.

"Wait, I'll come, too!"

"No, Bella!" Angela twitched, the tension around her providing sudden stress.

A voice drawled, "Careful. She's gettin' tense."

"How can she even focus?"

Her confusion mounted and Angela couldn't seem to find even her prayers, anymore. Then, _he_ spoke and her anxiety eased somewhat, feeling his hand pass through her hair. "What the hell is going on?"

"Never mind, Nomad," came a disparaging female's voice.

"We should go meet the wolves."

"_Bella's not going_. I'll stay here with her."

The wind blew, stirring scents beguilingly under her nose before they dissipated entirely. A new voice spoke, a voice that was accompanied by a hand like a coal. Comforting. "So, you're changing, Angela. Look, remember this: you don't have to have red eyes. You can be like the Cullens and hunt animals, okay? Like, like Charlie."

Then, Angela's heart started pounding. Pounding. _Pounding!_ Terrified, she gasped and gripped the hand in hers until something shattered.

There was a shriek and then all Hell broke loose.

"How much venom did you use? She's waking up far too early."

"She'll be ravenous." That was _his_ voice again. The sexy one. The one that made her melt every time she heard it. Her body surged, needing..._wanting_...

"Damn! Bella's hand!"

Angela had never heard the variety of swear words that came next, but while her brain tried to puzzle them out, she felt the fires that lingered converge in her chest, surround her racing heart, and try to send her through the ceiling.

"Help!"

Chaos. And then — silence. And a burning in her throat. She opened her eyes with a snap. "Garrett?"

He was there! She wanted to smell him, touch him and —

— And she was right next to him. Fast as a thought.

"Well, well, Sally..." he murmured, his dark eyes reflecting her pale face.

On the way to pressing herself against the almost irresistible length of his body—a need she had never experienced and had no idea how to manage—Angela stopped short. "_Angela_. My name is Angela. They told me it was."

A quick sobriety held his face immobile for a moment. "And so they did. I have been here, you know," he went on, "I never left you." His arm slowly encompassed her body and she let herself be drawn against him. He smelled _so good_. "You're beautiful, my angel. I just hope. . .hope you'll be willing to stay with me of your own free will."

She laughed, then paused, then laughed again, amazed at the sounds she made. "I don't know if I'll have a choice... Where am I? Where's Bella? I remember hearing her. . ."

The speaking flooded her throat with air. And that made it _burn_, tugging next on her stomach so that it felt as if it were pulling for sustenance. _Something_...she was...

"So thirsty," she rasped, meeting Garrett's eye. His expression shifted from wariness to pleasure and then to a determined sort of look that made her know he would care for her. She had questions, a lot of them, but first she had to soothe this aching burn.

"We'll hunt, Angel," he assured her. "Edward?"

_Edward_..._Edward_... The name seemed familiar but she didn't know why and it wasn't nearly as important as the burn so she just tried to urge Garrett to take care of her.

"I can't leave her!" came a voice from beyond the door.

"You'll have to. Everyone else is gone, remember? I would never assert my will over anyone, but for this? I need to, I think."

"Stay. Right. Here," the other male told the beating heart. _That's what that is_. _Thump-thump, thump-thump_. Just hearing it made her stomach pull more tightly in a strange sort of desire. Her mouth filled with venom.

Then, she saw the opportunity Garrett had provided. The door opened! A man entered. A man with glowing, autumnal hair. He was taller even than she, so she waited while he approached, hands outstretched in seeming friendship and then—

She jumped, leading with her hands while her body followed, arrowing over his head and out the door! She landed with an agility that seemed glad to her limbs, bouncing on her palms and then pushed up and over to land next to —

Food. Her vision seemed to go red, focusing on the throbbing pulse under a pale neck. Food.

Her heart rebelled but her brain told her she needed this. Needed this more than air, even.

The beating heart spoke in a familiar voice, but her mind was focused only on the _thump-thump_. "Angela, you look amazing! Wow. But yeah, I bet you're. . .thirsty, right?"

"Yes!" It was as if she'd been given permission and so she lunged, grabbing the source of that pounding, thirst quenching...

It didn't even require thought, bending to bite and pull and drink and _ohhhh_...

"Angela!"

After only a couple of swallows—oh, it tasted so good! and she was so thirsty!—she was jerked off her prey.

"Oh, God, no! Bella! Bella!"

* * *

**_E/N: To be concluded..._**


	5. She Was Magnificent

**A/N:** You have been so cool, all of you. Thank you for joining me in this quick and dirty AU.

* * *

She was magnificent.

Ebony hair around her body, blood dripping from her lips — he had to kiss her! With a growl that was half lust, half anger, Garrett ripped her from Edward's arms with ease and swirled her away.

"I'll help you, Angel," he murmured into her hair while she growled, spat, and struggled against him. "We'll find you something immediately."

"Edward! It burns!"

With an apologetic glance at an agonized Edward, Garrett ran with Angela in his arms. Knowing this was the Cullens' territory, he wanted to get Angela far from it before she fed. He couldn't let her run on her own. Carlisle was quite. . ._particular_ about those things.

He ran until he reached water and then turned north, not knowing how far the Cullens' territory extended. When he stopped catching traces of them, it was dark.

"Garrett..._pleasepleaseplease_," his Angel begged.

He met her pleading lips with his, trying to distract her while he sought prey. She tasted divine, her lips molding to his own and her hands immediately skimming over his torso in a way that had him forget to listen for heartbeats.

Until he felt her begin to move away. Then, he heard them. Two. Young men, camping on the beach.

"Come, sweetheart," Garrett whispered to his companion. "We'll soothe the burn now."

* * *

"You what?" Angela didn't recognize her own shriek. Birds flew, crying out their fear as she felt herself to be swirling in it. "What did I do?"

Garrett —she would remember his name forever—approached with one hand stretched out to her. "I had to, my Angel. Once I kissed you, I —"

Fury burst from her. Grabbing his hand, she jerked it. Hard. "You made me a murderer!"

His arm came off and seeing him thus disabled threw her considerably. Still, she kept it with her and, on instinct, ran from him. Ran away from the delectable scent of people.

* * *

"I what?"

Garrett winced. Finally, she had relented and given him back his arm, but her voice vibrated in the still-healing wound of it. "We stopped you," he assured her, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "But she's. . .she's one of us, now, I'm sure."

"She'd never kill anyone. Not Bella Swan."

Garrett privately disagreed, but he nuzzled Angela's head as if he concurred. "What choice would she have?"

"The Cullens. Their eyes aren't red like yours. Do they do something. . .different?"

With a smile, Garrett turned her slender body so he could face her. "They hunt animals, Angel."

"So that's where they went all those times..." Hope filled her expression when she smiled for him at last. "I want to hunt animals, as well."

Appalled, he shook his head. "No. That is not our natural prey!"

"In my heart, I'm a human being, Garrett Sawyer. In my heart, I don't feed from humans. How could you do this to me?"

"I wanted to keep you with me, my angel. I had to, once I had kissed you."

He was too slow to match her newborn speed when she tore off his ear before running again.

"Dammit, woman." Still, he chased her. He had to—in between her bouts of retribution, his Long, Tall Sally was a wonderful woman.

* * *

He tasted_ so good_. Every time. Every _single_ time it was a renewing surprise to her. She traced his throat with her tongue and felt nothing but a sense of rightness about it. His lips skimmed her skin, his hands seemed to encompass her hips and she moaned aloud in the small hunting cabin he had found for them somewhere in Canada. "Garrett..."

He lifted her and she felt them—the pearls. The swung out and clicked against his face.

She chuckled a little, the mood partially interrupted. "I accept them, by the way," she said. For months she had exploded in terror and anger both at him and what he had done to her. But, as she compelled herself to rely only on the blood of animals — animals she might have eaten anyway as a human — her spirit quieted and her anger cooled. She stopped ripping off his arms and he stopped trying to justify what he had done. She found her best happiness when when she was with him. They lived, hunted, and traveled all over the continent. It was beautiful. She determined to do good with her new life opportunity, since she would have eternity in which to do so.

With a soft puff of laughter, he aligned their bodies. "I'm glad. If I had had the wit to think of it, my angel, I would never have taken your choice from you."

"I understand."

"I love you, you know."

Her heart felt as if it grew, undead though it was. "I love you, too."

* * *

Garrett's eyes were a tawny shade between gold and red. He leaned against a blooming cherry tree in Washington, D.C., smiling in delight as his mate, Angela—his Angel, his own Long, Tall Sally—enjoyed the breeze that cast soft pink flowers into her lustrous black hair. Her eyes were golden in their entirety and the contrast was incredible.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

She smiled, rich and full, and stepped slowly to his side. "You, too," she whispered. Pressing herself against the full length of him, she nuzzled him under his right ear. "Have I said thank you, lately?"

He sighed and nudged her head so he could taste her lips. "Just this morning."

"Oh, good."

"Have I told you I loved you, lately?"

Leaning back from him, she cupped his face in her hands and he leaned into her gentle touch. Her forgiveness was more valuable to him than he thought anything could be.

"Thank you, Angel. I was never lonely until I lost you. I'm glad you relented."

"So am I. I love you."

"Always," he assured her, brushing a kiss across her forehead. "Always."

For them, that meant eternity.

_**The End**_

* * *

**E/N:** And that's a wrap. With a skosh more to it than I originally jotted down in a series of emails, but yeah. Thanks for reading and enjoying and freaking out at all the right parts. And if I don't see you before they're over, Happy Holidays!


End file.
